The present invention relates to an implant for percutaneous implantation through the abdominal wall for encircling and engaging an externalised length of a body duct of a human or animal patient. The implant is of the kind comprising an exterior tubular section defined by an circumferential exterior wall at least a part of which is adapted to protrude outwardly from the abdominal wall with a free end which serves for mounting of a detachable device, an interior section defined by an circumferential interior wall adapted to extend through the abdominal wall and inside the patient for internal fixation of the implant, wherein the exterior tubular section and the interior section have a common axis.
A detailed discussion of various diseases and known surgical procedures involving ostomy are found in the applicants own European patent application No. EP 0477475.4 and international patent application PCT/IB2007/050646, not yet published.
A tubular implant with a flange is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,664. This implant is used as a permanent, closable stoma and includes a flexible, pliable sleeve of biocompatible, soft, mesh material, e.g. polypropylene. Since a flexible sleeve can move in response to the peristaltic movements of the externalised intestine there is a great risk that the connection of the tissue growing into the sleeve is too weak at the beginning of the healing process to resist peristaltic movement. The fragile tissue bond may rupture in response to movement of the sleeve during peristaltic and in response to passage of substance. This prevents fast healing and protracts patient recovery. In addition due to the required folding technique of the intestine around the free edge of the implant to allow the intestinal tissue to get attached to the flexible mesh, infectious material is guided directly towards the exterior skin surface, inducing a considerable risk of irritation, inflammation and last but not least bacterial contamination with a.o. faecal matter on the surrounding skin surface, in particular during healing.
The applicants own patent applications describes various embodiments of implants provided with rigid mesh means along various parts of the interior circumference of the implant. Although theses implant have proven to be of particular advantage for many ostomy patients it has turned out that in some patient's uncontrollable infection and inflammation occurs, in particular at the contact site between the exterior surface of the implant and the access opening in the abdominal skin of the patient. It is recognised that the reason for this is the design of these known implants, in which the exterior ring section merges directly into the interior section, for example by means of connecting members. This design provides a microbiological access route or wick for i.e. faecal bacteria along the exterior surface of the implant. This exterior surface also provides a propagating surface for bacteria.
The present invention now remedies these disadvantages.